Ramzan Kadyrov has a difficult life. Not only is he the ruler of an impoverished republic only now rebuilding itself after years of bitter civil war, he is also regularly forced to fend off accusations of rampant human rights abuses and runaway corruption.

Over the weekend, however, the Chechen leader admitted he is also struggling with an additional burden: Instagramming.

In the past week alone, he has shaken hands with a white tiger and dined several times with his many wives and identically dressed children, and stood, arms outstretched and unsmiling, on a number of roads. On Sunday he posted a picture of himself leaning into some hens. The caption read: "I just fed a chicken!"

The cuddly oversharing appears inconsistent with his reputation as a ruthless dictator who suffers no political dissent. Yet it is in keeping with the massive personality cult Kadyrov has built in Chechnya, where many buildings and roads – usually named after his father and predecessor, Akhmad Kadyrov – bear his image.

"It's actually a very useful thing," Ramzan Kadyrov said of Instagram in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Monday. "I now have the opportunity to monitor public opinion in real time."

He made clear that it was not all fun and games, however. "If, for people, Instagram is just entertainment, for me it's an additional burden."

During a recent visit to Grozny by Gérard Depardieu, Kadyrov flooded his feed with pictures of the French actor and recently turned Russian citizen – here is Depardieu embracing Kadyrov, here is Depardieu looking at a model plane, here is Depardieu lording over a table of food.

Kadyrov reserves a special place for pictures of himself with animals – not just white tigers, but also horses, calves, lions, lambs, deer and dogs. He often cradles them lovingly.

Human rights activists have accused him of lording over a government system that regularly tortures and exacts revenge on its critics. Kadyrov has denied all accusations.

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